Mattress and method of manufacturing the same



T. FOSTER 2,215,784

MATTRESS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME Sept. 24, 1940.

Filed May 26, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR,

BY j- ATTORNEY.

Sept. 24, 1940. FOSTER 2,215,784

MATTRESS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME Filed May 26, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR,

ATTORNEY out of place when the mattress is in use.

Patented Sept. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES;

MATTRESS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTUR- INGTHESAME Townsend Foster, New al-arms, N. r.

Application Ma'yEG, 1938,1Scrial No. 210,089

2 Claims. (digs-451) My invention relates to that type of mattress wherein a central, elastic coreispl-aced inside of a casingwhich is closed about-the core.

Objects of my invention areto securethe casing to theinserted -core by other means than tufting; to use securing meanswhich'shallnot be visible from the-outside when the casing is closed; and to firmly attachithe casing, including its' facing elements, to the core in such a way that the casing and itsassociated layers of padding and textile material shall'be fixed-in their relation to the core, and shall not slip or. slide These and other desirable features of myinvention will be pointed out hereinafter in the specification and claims.

When a mattress is made with a core such for instance as a set of helical wire springsin" terconnected and surrounded by a resilient wire, surroundedby a casing which is notfixed positively in itsrelation to the core, under stresses and strains of actual use, the casing is apt to slip, particularly laterally, so that the mattress casing becomes distorted. This is particularly objectionable wheres rolled edges are employed.

to connect the boxing and the facings of the casing; for the distortion of such rolled edges gives the mattress an unsatisfactory appearance and interferes with its comfortable use.

Efforts have been made to secure casings to cores by tufting, that is by passing cords through the mattress from side to side, drawing them tight, and knotting their ends on the outside of the mattress. Thisproduces depressions in the face of the mattress which interfere with its appearance, particularly if it has an ornamental design, and also form places for gathering dust and other objectionable elements.

With my invention I secure a smooth, even surface on the top and on the bottom of the mattress, free from unsightly depressions or projections but with the casing securely attached to the core.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of a mattress illustrating my invention, parts being broken away, and other parts being folded back and a medial portion being omitted in order to facilitate illustration. Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in section, taken as on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the component parts of the casing, however, being shown in their normal, and not turned back, positions, and as secured to the core. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a corner of a mattress, the various layers being separated for clearer illustration; and Fig. 4 is a view, partly diagrammatic, of acorner of a mattress showing how the casing is inconspicuously secured tothe core by'stitching, one edge of the facing being turned back for clearness.

Similar parts are designated by similar reference numerals in all the figures.

Marginal resilient wires l, I surround the coiled springs 2, 2 and hold them in place in the conventional manner. The sides of the core are preferably covered with layers of sisal-3, 3 or similar material whichmay be bent around the wires I, l and'held in position as by staples l, 4 passing through the sisal. The casing is illus-. trated as being made up of a number of layers of material for instance an inner element or backing, as a layer 5 of cotton batting, a layer 6 of cheese cloth or other textile material, a layer 1 of cotton batting, a skirt of cheese cloth 8or similar material and an ornamental top panel 9. To hold these various elements satisfactorily in proper position and relation it is important to secure them so that they will not slip and slide and shift relative to each other or to the core. I find that this can be done satisfactorily by fastening a strip, fiounce or skirt on the underside of the top panel, for instance as by stitching In, It running through the top panel 9 and the strip, skirt or fiounce 8. The elements 5 to 9 of the casing are then brought together ontop of each other and placed in position on the sisal-covering the springs 2', 2. The edge of the facing 9 is then turned back so as to expose the strip 8 below it and the parts are then anchored to each other by sewing, as with a twine ll, through the layers of the casing, excepting the facing, so as to anchor the casing to the elements of the spring core. When this has been done all around the casing, the edges of the face are spread out over the skirt 8 and the edges of the assembly are drawn together and secured as by stitching the facing and some of the other elements of the assembly as sheet 6 to the boxing, preferably to form a rolled, taped edge 12. This results in the production of a mattress with a closed case thoroughly anchored to an interior core, but in such a way that the anchoring means is not visible or conspicuous. The arrangement of the upholstery layers in the case may be varied as occasion requires, what my invention or the scope of the claims relating to inconspicuously and positively anchoring the casing to an inclosed core.

The principal object in forming the skirt 8 as a strip, around and under the facing 9, is to save material. The width of the strip may be varied, provided it is wide enough to allow the anchoring stitches as l l, I I, to be properly placed through it when the edge of the facing is turned back. And, in fact, a sheet of the same size as the facing 9 may be used if desired. The lines on which the skirt or sheet is attached to the facing may also be varied, and they may be made by lines of quilting, in design or otherwise, passing through the facing and the skirt layer, and, if advisable, through the layers of padding beneath them. The important thing is to securely attach the facing to the skirt or underlying sheet so that the edges of the facing may be turned back when the stitching through the skirt and underlying padding is placed to secure the casing to the core.

The presence of the textile layer or skirt 8 is important because it gives a good foundation for the stitches H, II which would not be properly efiicient if they passed only through the cotton batting and interposed textile layer, as the stitching would not hold efficiently in the batting alone, which in use would tend to spread or shift or tear apart from around the stitches, whereas when the batting is covered by a textile layer or skirt, as 8, the batting will be held in place by the skirt and stitches, and the stitches will not rupture the batting but will hold it in its proper position for closing with the boxing.

If desired, the layer 5 of cotton batting may be omitted, in which case the textile sheet 6 will present a smooth interior surface against which the core may be slid or placed without danger of disarranging the elements of the casing or the covering, as 3, of the springs.

By anchoring the casing to the core in this way, the strains and stresses arising between the core and the casing in the use of the mattress are carried by the textile layers or skirts 8, 8, and not by the facings 9, 9, so that the facings are relieved in large degree from the drags due to the relative movements of the component parts of the mattress, and the fabric of the facings is not strained, distorted, frayed or ruptured in ordinary use, but may maintain its normal texture and integrity, which is particularly desirable when material of fine texture and quality is used for facings.

While it is important that the material of the layer or skirt 8 shall be strong enough in practice to withstand the drag of the anchoring stitching, it will be seen that as the backing or inside layer of the casing rests against the core, and the stitching anchors the skirt 8 to the core, the strain of that stitching will be borne by the skirt and the core between which the other layers of the casing will be held in place by the stitching. The connection between the skirt 8 and the facing 9 serves to position the facing properly relative to the other layers of the casing, without subjecting it to the tension of the anchoring stitching, particularly as the stitching l0 and the stitching II are out of line with each other and a direct drag is not imposed on the former by the latter.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination in a mattress of a core, a completely closed casing embodying a facing, padding, boxing and backing, surrounding the core, a subjacent textile layer element with an open center attached to the facing inwardly from its edges and lying parallel with the facing and extending out to its edges, and means consisting of heavy stitching passing through the textile layer element outside of its attachment to the facing, but not through the facing, and engaging the core to secure the casing to the core, the edges of the casing facing and the textile layer being closed within an edge seam the edges of the boxing to conceal such heavy stitching.

2. The combination in a mattress of a core, a completely closed casing embodying a pair of facing panels, padding and boxing, surrounding the core, a subjacent textile layer element attached to each facing panel inwardly from and extending out to its edges, and core anchoring means passing through each of said textile layer elements outside of its attachment to the facing, but not through the attached facing panel, and engaging the core, to secure the casing to the core, the edges of the casing panels and attached textile layers being closed in a rolled edge with the cooperating edges of the boxing to conceal such anchoring means.

TOWNSEND FOSTER. 

